The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. – Psalms 24:1

NOT OURS

 

There is freedom in the recognition that everything we have in life has been given us to us by God and belongs to God. It’s this freedom that enables us to hold on to our “stuff” (i.e. money, resources, time, talent, etc…) with a very light grip.

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. – Acts 4:32-35

What a beautiful picture. Believers united around the one thing that surpassed all of their differences – Jesus. And a spirit of generosity that was rooted in their belief that everything they had came from God and belonged to God. And the result? Radical generosity that flowed through them to one another and the world around them.

We believe that this is so much more than an inspirational story about something that happened a long time ago. We believe that this is a picture of what our community could look like, even today, as each one of us live and prioritize….not as owners….but as managers and stewards.

GENEROUS GIVING, SERVING & LIVING

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:19-21

An important part of our weekly gatherings is giving our best to God through giving financially. We call it “Giving Back to God” because we believe that when we give, we are simply giving back to God a portion of what already belongs to him.

Jesus once said: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21

Since our hearts follow our treasures (aka – money), we believe that one of the first areas of surrender in our lives ought to be the surrender of our money to God’s purposes and priorities.

As our hearts become more aligned with God’s heart, this generosity will flow into the rest of our lives, allowing us to become generous with our time and with how we invest in others.

ABUNDANCE VS. SCARCITY

We avoid looking at life through the lens of scarcity, which haunts our calendars, our wallets and our homes, causing us to turn inward and to place our attention solely on our own well-being. Instead, we choose to celebrate the abundance of what God has blessed us with.

As generous people, we are quick to say YES to opportunities to be a blessing. We proactively seek out ways to bless those in need.

 

Art by: Katrina Beck

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